Sony's new PlayStation console to reach stores before holidays

COLOGNE, GERMANY – Sony will start selling the PlayStation 4 in the United States on Nov. 15, ahead of the holiday shopping season, as the company moves to lure consumers away from playing on smartphones and tablet computers.

The player, Sony’s first new console in seven years, will initially be available in 32 countries, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House said in Cologne, Germany, ahead of the annual Gamescom, Europe’s biggest game conference. Tokyo-based Sony unveiled the console in June at E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

New players from Sony and Microsoft debut amid an industry shift toward mobile, made popular by Apple’s iPhone and Facebook’s social-gaming platform. Console makers are betting faster machines with new features, from motion capture to immersive graphics, will entice consumers to spend on hardware as well as games.

Sony on Tuesday also lowered the price on its Vita handheld console to $199 from $250. In Europe, the new price is 199 euros ($267), Jim Ryan, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, said at the event.

Microsoft unveiled its new Xbox One console in May, with plans to begin sales in November in 21 countries. Last week, the Redmond, Wash.-based company cut the number to 13 to ensure larger markets have sufficient supplies.

Nintendo Co. began selling its most recent console, the Wii U, in November. It sold 160,000 units of the player in the three months ended in June, pushing the total to 3.6 million since its debut in November.